NYRA to raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research during Lustgarten Foundation Day at Saratoga

by Pat McKenna

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced it will honor the legacy of late trainer Dominic Galluscio while raising funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research during Lustgarten Foundation Day at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, July 24.

The day’s first race will be named in honor of Galluscio, who passed away in 2014 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. A popular and respected figure among his peers, Galluscio trained more than 1,000 winners and earned more than $31 million in purses in a career that began in 1981 and was spent primarily on the New York circuit.

The centerpiece of the day will be a trainer autograph session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Room Porch to benefit The Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing scientific and medical research related to pancreatic cancer.

Pat Kelly, son of the late Hall of Fame horseman T.J. Kelly, is a board member of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association of which he was the long-time Vice President. Best known as the conditioner of Grade 1-winning millionaires Evening Attire, Riskaverse, Sultry Song and Solar Splendor, Kelly also serves as secretary/treasurer of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program.

"We love to be involved in such a worthy cause. I even have a client who named a horse "Fight on Lucy" for a friend who battled pancreatic cancer," said Kelly. "The trainers love to participate and I think we expect to have over 50 here on Saturday."

The trainer autograph session is expected to include 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Todd Pletcher, four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown as well as Hall of Famers Bill Mott, Nick Zito and others.

Saratoga Race Course will feature purple décor in honor of The Lustgarten Foundation and donation bins will be positioned throughout the track grounds.

Gates open at 11 a.m. on Saturday with first post scheduled for 1 p.m. The day's featured races are the $500,000, Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles; and the $200,000, Grade 3 Caress for fillies & mares, 4-year-old & up, at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf.

The 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 6. Racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day. 

For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com.